4 teachers sue Delta after jet fuel dump over their school
LOS ANGELES — Days after a Delta airliner dumped jet fuel over an elementary school in Cudahy, four teachers are suing the company, saying they’ve suffered emotional and physical distress because the pilot didn’t follow protocol.
“Without any true necessity, the Delta pilot of Flight 89 caused the plane to release what are believed to be thousands of pounds of fuel per second over the city of Cudahy, Calif., and areas under its flight path,” attorney Gloria Allred said during a news conference Friday. “At the time, Flight 89 was flying so low that the fuel it was releasing did not have time to evaporate or dissipate before hitting the ground below.”
The suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, notes that jet fuel is harmful and dangerous to humans and can cause liver damage, decreased immune response, impaired performance on neurological function tests and impaired hearing, according to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages that would be determined in trial, said Allred, who is representing the four women.
At least 20 Park Avenue Elementary School students were doused by the jet propellant Tuesday morning when the plane abruptly turned back to Los Angeles International Airport shortly after taking off for Shanghai. The pilot radioed the control tower to say that there was an engine problem but that he did not need to dump any fuel to reduce weight before an emergency landing. Yet less than 20 minutes later, the jet — flying at about 2,300 feet — dropped fuel over Park Avenue and the surrounding area.
The effects have sparked outrage in a community that’s been at the center of environmental injustices for decades in Los Angeles County. Dozens of people — many of them children — were treated by paramedics, but no one was seriously injured.
Three of the four teachers, who were not identified during Friday’s news conference, recounted how they saw white plumes overhead and immediately took action once they felt the liquid raining down.
One teacher said she feared they were under terrorist attack while she was taking her first-graders outside for lunch.
“I thought it was raining, and then I caught (the) scent of fuel,” she said.
She said she yelled at her students to get back inside, noting their safety was paramount.
“All I could think of was making sure my students were safe and to calm their fears, as they were scared and crying,” she said through tears. “Soon after, my head began to hurt and I started feeling nauseous. I couldn’t smell anything other than gas. I couldn’t taste anything other than gas.”